Dutch departure leaves key province in a lurch

Deb Riechmann, Associated Press

Published 4:00 am, Monday, February 22, 2010

Photo: Valerie Kuypers, AFP/Getty Images

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Dutch prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende delivers a speech after he announced his government has collapsed in The Hague on February 20, 2010. The Dutch government collapsed after coalition parties clashed over a NATO request to extend the Netherlands' military mission in Afghanistan, the prime minister said. less

Dutch prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende delivers a speech after he announced his government has collapsed in The Hague on February 20, 2010. The Dutch government collapsed after coalition parties clashed ... more

Photo: Valerie Kuypers, AFP/Getty Images

Dutch departure leaves key province in a lurch

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The likely exit of Dutch troops from Afghanistan leaves a key province in the heart of the nation vulnerable to Taliban infiltration - especially if militants are pushed out of their sanctuaries in the south.

The departure of the Netherlands and Canada, which plans to remove its 2,800 troops from the country next year, could prompt other nations in the NATO alliance to rethink their commitment to the 8-year-old war. And it underscores the difficulty President Obama faces in keeping the international contingent intact.

The Dutch serve in Uruzgan province, an area well known to several insurgent commanders, including Taliban kingpin Mullah Mohammed Omar, who once was a cleric in the Dihrawud district. Moreover, Uruzgan borders Helmand province where 15,000 U.S., Afghan and NATO forces have been fighting insurgents for control of the town of Marjah.

"We need the Dutch force in Uruzgan. The Dutch are very active in reconstruction, and strengthening the Afghan National Army and the Afghan National Police," Uruzgan's provincial Gov. Asadullah Hamdam said Sunday.

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"If they leave the country, we will have more difficulties in Uruzgan," said Hamdam, who worries that Taliban fighters being pushed out of Marjah will move north to his province.

The bulk of Australia's 1,500 troops in Afghanistan are based in Uruzgan doing reconstruction work and training Afghan security forces, but Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said Sunday his country has no plans to fill the vacuum if the Dutch withdraw.

"In the absence of the Dutch, Australia has made it clear to NATO and to the international security assistance forces that Australia is not in a position to take up the lead in Uruzgan province," Smith said.

There are more than 44,000 non-U.S. troops from NATO and partner countries in Afghanistan, compared with more than 74,000 Americans.

Even as the U.S. pours in 30,000 more soldiers, most European nations - including France and Germany - have been reluctant to substantially boost their troop levels, limiting their contributions mainly to instructors for the Afghan army and police.

The Dutch government was bitterly divided over the nation's presence in Afghanistan where 21 Dutch soldiers have died, including the son of a Dutch military commander, Gen. Peter van Uhm. The issue boiled over this weekend when Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende said that despite a marathon Cabinet session, he could not bridge differences with the Labor Party, which rejected a NATO request to extend the Dutch deployment beyond August - the current date set for their withdrawal.

Without the support of the Labor Party, Balkenende's government collapsed. New elections are expected in the spring, but it will take months for a new government to be formed. Balkenende said Sunday his country's 1,600 troops would probably leave Afghanistan this year.